Standards
of Learning Covered by Study of "Mutsmag" and "Ashpet" Dramatizations

Cathy Brookshire is the founder and artistic director of Organized Chaos, a performance-based
theatrical training program for high school students serving the Shenandoah
Valley since 1992 with touring productions of Shakespearean plays, children's
theatre, and health issue plays. For more information contact Cathy Brookshire
at brooksca@jmu.edu or call 540-434-7516.

Virginia Standards
of Learning for K-5 are listed below with student activities related
to observation of story theatre performances of "Mutsmag" and "Ashpet" (as dramatized by R. Rex Stephenson).
These guidelines can be adapted for learning standards in other places and many
types of study involving oral, dramatic, and written versions of folktales from
Appalachia and elsewhere.

GRADE
K - ENGLISH

K.1 - The student will demonstrate growth in the use of oral language.

Students may be read
some of the many books, both fiction and non-fiction about Virginia. Members
of the class can make up short skits or poems or songs based on the stories
they hear.

K.2 - The student will
use listening and speaking vocabularies.

After students have
seen the play, they can describe what they saw, what movements the actors used
to portray the different people and things in the stories, how the music sounded,
and what the costumes looked like. They can ask about any words they didn't
understand.

K.3 - The student will
build oral communication skills.

Students can take turns
describing the play. They can discuss what they learned about people from the
play, what they did and didn't like about the play, and how it feels to see
a live stage production instead of watching a show on television or at the movies.
Did they have to behave differently? Was it easy to see and hear?

GRADE
1 - ENGLISH

ORAL LANGUAGE

1.1 - The student will
continue to demonstrate growth in the use of oral language.

The students can listen
and respond to a variety of media dealing with the subject of fairy tales, the
people and lifestyles of Virginia. They can then retell the material they
have been exposed to in the form of short skits, poems, or songs.

1.2 - The student will
continue to expand and use listening and speaking vocabularies.

The students can describe
the play they have seen; they can talk about how it feels to be a part of an
audience at a live show. They can describe the costumes, music, and stories
they have seen in the play.

1.3 - The student will
adapt or change oral language to fit the situation.

The students can engage
in conversation and group discussion about the play and their reactions to the
stories and the characters.

READING/LITERATURE

1.5 - The student will
apply knowledge of how print is organized and read.

The students can practice
appropriate reading skills by reading some of the many books, both fiction and
non fiction, about Virginia that are available.

1.7 - The student will
use meaning clues when reading.

Many of the age appropriate
books about fairy tales, American folk tales, and Virginia have interesting
and beautiful pictures which the students can use to assist their reading and
understanding of the words. Students can identify and use adjectives in the
books to describe the different characters.

1.10 - The student
will read familiar stories, poems, or passages with fluency and expression.

Students can read various
American fairy and folk tales out loud.

1.11 - The student
will read and comprehend a variety of fiction and non-fiction selections.

Students can read a
variety of stories about Cinderella, Ashpet, or Mutsmag, and other folk tales
of Virginia. They may also read non-fiction accounts of life in Virginia and
Appalachia.

GRADE
2 - ENGLISH

ORAL LANGUAGE

2.1 - The student will
demonstrate an understanding of oral language structure.

Students can create
their own stories or skits about the various characters in the play, placing
the stories in different locales and time periods. How does placement in another
country or region affect the language of the characters? The clothing? What
happens if you change the story to modern times? Ancient Egypt?

2.2. - The student
will continue to expand listening and speaking vocabularies.

Students can examine
their stories, poems and skits for clarity of thought and intention. Does the
story they have just written make sense? Does it have a beginning, middle and
end? Does it have a point? Is it interesting?

2.3 - The student will
use oral communication skills.

The student can relate
to the class an American folk tale he or she read. The student can describe
a favorite character. The student can describe his or her evening at the theatre.

READING/LITERATURE

2.5 - The student will
use meaning clues when reading.

Many of the American
folk tale storybooks have pictures that may be used to enhance the readers'
understanding of the words. Photos from non-fiction sources about Virginia may
be used as well.

2.7 - The student will
read fiction, non-fiction and poetry using a variety of strategies independently.

2.8 - The student will
demonstrate comprehension of fiction and non-fiction selections.

Students can describe
the characters and settings of the many American tall tales and folk tales.
Students can explain the problem each story grapples with and how the characters
solve that problem. Students can write about what they have read.

Students can write
a simple explanation or a story about their play-going experience. They can
write letters to the actors.

2.10 - The student
will edit final copies for grammar, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.

RESEARCH

2.11 - The student
will locate information in reference materials.

Students may use dictionaries
to define words in a vocabulary list taken from the stories and poems they read.
Encyclopedias and the Web may be used to research the various types of geography
in Virginia and the flora and fauna of the state.

GRADE
3 - ENGLISH

ORAL LANGUAGE

3.1 - The student will
use effective communication skills in group activities.

Students can practice
effective communication skills through group discussions and critiques of the
performance. Does the story tell us anything about ourselves?

3.2 - The student will
present brief oral reports.

Students can give oral
reports about their impressions of the play. Who was their favorite character
and why? What was the funniest moment in the play? What was the saddest moment?
How did they like the singing and the drumming?

READING/LITERATURE

3.3. - The student
will apply word-analysis skills when reading and writing.

Students can discover
and define a number of unusual words in the play.

3.4 - The student will
use strategies to read a variety of printed materials.

Students can read or
be read other materials about Virginia, The Civil War, the peoples and folklore
of Appalachia, etc.

3.5 - The student will
demonstrate comprehension of a variety of printed materials.

The student can discuss
the two folk tales shown in the play. They can research similar stories or a
non fiction article about Virginia or a poem that the student has read or had
read to him/her that bears a connection to the stories in the play. Connections
can be made between students' experiences and those described in the stories
or poems. How do the characters in the play behave? Do we behave like that sometimes?

3.6 - The student will
continue to read a variety of fiction and nonfiction selections.

The student can read
other poems, stories, and myths by many different groups such as American Indian,
Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Eskimo,and South American. Differences between these
cultures and their approaches to common themes such as leadership, citizenship,
fairness, bravery, wise decision-making, and kindness can be discussed.

WRITING

3.7 - The student will
write descriptive paragraphs.

Students can write
a review of the performance focusing on such subjects as: The effectiveness
of the costumes, the style of the production, and the strength of the acting
and singing.

3.8 - The student will
write stories, letters, simple explanations, and short reports across all content
areas.

Students can write
their own American or Virginian folk tale. Students can write a short play about
one of the characters in the production. Students can write letters to the actors
about the performance and their reaction to it.

3.9 - The student will
write legibly in cursive.

RESEARCH

3.10 - The student
will record information from print and nonprint resources.

Students may use dictionaries
to define words in a vocabulary list taken from the stories and poems they read.
Encyclopedias and the Web may be used to research Virginia's various types of
geography, clothing, agriculture, and culture.

GRADE
4 - ENGLISH

ORAL LANGUAGE

4.1 - The student will
use effective oral communication skills in a variety of settings.

Students can participate
in group discussions about the performance. Did the production cover the same
material as any of the written stories? Is it presented from a different perspective?
How did the actors' interpretations affect the students' perceptions of the
story's characters?

4.2 - The student will
make and listen to oral presentations and reports.

Students can present
individual oral reports on a variety of subjects related to the performance.
They might discuss the use of costuming as a metaphor, the style of the production,
the type of music used in the play, or the success of the actors' impersonation
of animals, water, and trees.

READING/LITERATURE

4.3 - The student will
read and learn the meanings of unfamiliar words.

Folk tales and fairy
tales contain a number of interesting and unusual words that may be defined
and researched. The language of the stage might be used as well to increase
students' vocabularies. Words such as "rake" are used commonly to
mean a garden tool, but on the stage "rake" means setting the floor
of the stage or the seating of the audience on an incline.

4.4 - The student will
read fiction and nonfiction, including biographies and historical fiction.

The student can read
other poems, stories, and myths by many different groups such as American Indian,
Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Eskimo,and South American.

4.6 - The student will
read a variety of poetry.

There are numerous
examples of poems about Virginia. Students can read and study these poems. Students
may write their own poem about one of the characters in the play.

WRITING

4.7 - The student will
write effective narratives and explanations.

Students can write
and edit their own American folk tale.

4.8 - The student will
edit final copies of writings.

RESEARCH

4.9 - The student will
use information resources to research a topic.

Students can research
any number of topics relating to the production.

GRADE
5 - ENGLISH

ORAL LANGUAGE

5.1 - The student will
listen, draw conclusions, and share responses in subject-related group learning
activities.

Students may be formed
into small discussion groups whose purpose is to explore, prepare, and present
a report on one aspect of the production.

5.2 - The student will
use effective nonverbal communication skills.

In presenting the oral
reports generated by the small group discussions, students will be encouraged
to speak clearly, maintain eye contact, move appropriately, and use correct
posture.

5.3 - The student will
make a planned oral presentation.

Students can prepare
and present an oral report about any number of topics concerning the production.
For example a student can present a report on the differences or similarities
between American folk tales and European folk tales. (See pages on Mutsmag and Ashpet for suggestions.)

READING/LITERATURE

5.4 - The student will
read and learn the meanings of unfamiliar words.

American and Virginian
tales and legends contain a number of interesting and unusual words that may
be defined and researched. The language of the stage might be used as well to
increase students' vocabularies. Words such as "rake" are used commonly
to mean a garden tool, but on the stage "rake" means setting the floor
of the stage or the seating of the audience on an incline.

5.5 - The student will
read a variety of literary forms, including fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.

Students can read American
folk tales and legends, newspaper articles covering current political events
in Virginia, and poetry of Virginia, and use these as a base for covering several
of the requirements in this section.

WRITING

5.7 - The student will
write for a variety of purposes to describe, to inform, to entertain, and to
explain.

Students may write
their own poems, plays, newspaper articles, or short story about one or more
of the characters in the play.

RESEARCH

5.8 - The student will
synthesize information from a variety of resources.

Students can use the
internet, encyclopedias, biographies, and nonfictional texts to learn more about
Virginia, Virginia folk tales, and folk tales of many countries. They can explore
the roots of legends and folk tales using these resources.